Impulse generator



Aug. 12 1924.

1,504,716 H'. o. RUSSELL. ET AL IMPULSE GENERATOR Filed April 18 1922' flaeniamsx ,75215675 QWuaseZZ Patented Aug. 12, 11924.

EJNETEEQ fiTATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT 0. RUSSELL, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, AND CHARLES LEIGH PAULUS, OF

DAYTON, OHIO.

IMPULSE GENERATOR.

Application filed April 18, 1922. Serial No. 555,408.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERBERT O. RUssnLL and CHARLEs LEIGH PAULUs, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Detroit and Dayton, in the counties of Vayne and Montgomery and States of Michigan and Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Impulse Generators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to impulse generators, the main object in view being to eliminate danger of a dead shot being fired. After firing has been conducted and an airplane carrying the gun has landed, some one might inadvertently press the firing lever and thereby move the sear of the trigger motor into operative firing position wherein it will remain. Then, should a mechanic attempt to turn the engine over by manipulation of the propeller, half a revolution will cause the firing of the cartridge in the chamber of the gun. In the improved generator, operation of the firing lever will not move the sear of the trigger motor into firing position except when the engine is running.

Incidentally the construction necessary to prevent the firing of a dead shot will adapt the usual calibre trigger motor for use on a 50 calibre Browning gun, since the sear of the trigger motor is always in the retracted position when the engine is not running. This enables the firing mechanism which would otherwise be obstructed by the sear, to be removed.

Owing to the fact that this generator will cause the sear to be retracted every time the firing lever is released, an automatic gun could be adapted for use in connection with the synchronizer system for firing manually controlled bursts of shots in some direction other than through the zone of the rotating propeller.

The engine is also adapted to bring the impulse lever into operation gradually when the firing lever is pressed, thus'eliminating a sudden initial jerk on the impulse cable.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construc- .ciproca-tory member pin or plunger 2.

tion, combination and arrangement herein fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation partly in section of the improved impulse generator. Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a view thereof taken at a right angle to Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detailed view of the idler.

Figure 5 is a detailed view of the expander.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the impulse lever which is connected in the usual manner at 1 to the impulse cable 1 extending to a suitable trigger motor (not shown). The lever 1 is pivoted on a pin 1 held in a suitably mounted thrust yoke 1 Ordinarily the lever 1 is operated by a Breut in the present improvement, the lever 1 proper does not come in direct contact or into the direct path of the member 2, the latter being usually actuated by a suitable cam driven by the engine.

In carrying out the present invention, an idler 3 in the form of a pivoted arm is interposed between the lower end portion 5 of the lever 1 and the reciprocatory member 2 as shown in Figure 1, the idler 3 being adapted to be actuated by the reciprocatory member 2.

Interposed between the idler 3 and the end portion 5 of the impulse lever 1 is an expanding member 4 which is adapted to operate with a wedging action between said parts. The expanding member 4 extends through a slot in the lower end 5 of the lever 1 and is connected by the transmission member 6 to the actuating cable 7 extending to the shank of the firing lever (not shown), the transmission member housing 6 being in fixed position relatively to the gun and enme g The operation of the mechanism is as follows. When the firing lever is operated the expanding member will be moved downwardly by transmission means 6 and unless the member 2 is bearing against one end of the generator cam, the idler and the member 2 will be the only parts of the impulse lever assembly that will be shifted. The lever 1 will not be affected. Thus when the engine is not running no impulse will be trans mitted to the cable leading from the lever 1 to the trigger motor. Assuming that the engine is running, on the other hand, the member 2 will receive a series of impulses rapidly following each other. As the firing lever is operated, the expanding member is drawndoivnwardly by the action of mem her. 6, the downward motion being interrupted as it progresses by the impulses corresponding to every half rotation of the gererator cam near the end of the corresponding members thrust. A gradual step by step movement of the impulse lever results and continues until the expanding member has reached the limit of its movement Whereupon the entire initial impulse being transmitted to the trigger motor is completed. This is accomplished without jerks of sutficient magnitude to do any damage and from this point on firing continues in the usual manner.

In the apparatus above described it is obvious that accidental discharge due to accidental turning of the propeller by a mechanic Will be avoided since such rotation of the propeller will not result in any impulse being transmittedto the impulse cable.

Having thus described our invention, We claim:

1. In an impulse generator, an impulse lever, a cam-actuated pin for operating said lever, an idler arranged in the path of said pin between said pin and impulse lever, and a shii'table expanding member movable between said idler and lever to render said lever operative or inoperative and means for shifting such expander member.

2, in an impulse generator, an impulse lever, and a cam-actuated pin for operating said lever, an idler arranged in the path of said pin between said pin and impulse lever, and pivoted on the same axis as said lever, and a shittable expanding member movable between said idler and lever to render said lever operative or inoperative and means for shitting such expander member.

In an impulse generator, a normally inactive impulse lever, a reciprocator pin for actuating said lever, an idler between said pin and lever, and a manually controlled expanding member between said idler and lever adapted on movement of the tiring lever to press the idler into ope 'ative engagement with said reciprocating pin to cause the impulse lever to function.

HERBERT O. RUSSELL. CHARLES LEIGH PAULUS. 

